Parenting is hard. Period. Certainly, there are more delightful times and more challenging times throughout a lifetime of parenting. When parents feel the strain of parenting the most, it's usually when they're stressed from things like sleep deprivation, unmet parental needs, pressures from money, stress at work, strain in relationships, etc. Finding balance is hard while trying to raise humans. When your family dynamic involves ADHD, Autism, or Learning Difference, raising humans can feel overwhelming. This added layer of stress comes with added responsibilities.
Here are two reasons why parenting neurodivergent children can feel extra challenging:
1) Executive Functioning Overload. When you're parenting an neurodivergent child, you're often tasked with doing more executive functioning, for a longer duration or later into your child's development than is typical. This can take a toll on parents. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you, for example, expect your child to be able to dress themselves but they cannot focus long enough to do so. Or your expect your child to complete homework independently but your child doesn't know where to begin. Beside the emotional battle that can take place, the work of planning, organizing, sequencing, and executing these tasks in addition to caring for yourself or other family members is exhausting.
2) Disconnect. Being different can often feel isolating. Perhaps you feel judged by other parents, or alone in your experience. Or perhaps you have struggled to find the right resources for your family. The added barriers to support can feel very isolating as a parent.
I totally get it! Feeling overwhelmed and lost in the process of finding resources for my own family is one reason I started a group practice. I wanted to create a community of like-minded and compassionate people. And, I'm so glad you're here.
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